Conservatives hope for first Coventry MP in 20 years

As the Conservatives hope for their first seat in 20 years in Coventry, all focus is on Jim Cunningham who may or may not run as Labour MP for Coventry South.

Cunningham is one of the three Labour MPs that is yet to confirm whether he will stand as an MP or not after Theresa May’s snap election announcement. Geoffrey Robinson has announced that he will stand for Coventry North West, and Colleen Fletcher will stand for the Coventry North East seat she won in 2015.

Labour backbencher Cunningham has won in six Coventry general elections since 1992. Each sitting Labour MP will be given an automatic right to be on their constituency with no competition.

National opinion polls show the Conservatives with a majority over Labour, meaning that the Conservatives may have a chance in breaking Labour’s 20 year streak with their Coventry seats.

Coventry South is the 34th Conservative target for seats where a swing from Labour to Conservative may be needed.

Coventry city councillor Allan Andrews, and ex-council cabinet member Gary Ridley may form the other Conservative candidates for Coventry.

Another possible candidate for Coventry South is Michelle Lowe, who stood for Coventry North East in 2015, and is the deputy leader for Sevenoaks District Council in Kent.